How grades work

England moved from A*–G letter grades to a 9–1 number scale between 2017 and 2019. Wales and Northern Ireland kept letters, and IGCSEs may use either depending on the board.

The 9–1 scale gives more room at the top: grade 9 is harder to get than the old A*, and grade 8 sits between the old A* and A.

Grade boundaries are set after the exams are marked each year, so the percentage needed for each grade moves slightly from year to year.